Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin on Tuesday said the Election Commission has courageously taken the risk of introducing an IT-supported hybrid postal balloting system despite being fully aware that many problems and challenges may arise with the process.
“When our Chief Adviser made the announcement (to ensure arrangement so that expatriates can vote in this next general election), we took this risk with courage (by initiating the IT-supported postal ballot system), knowing fully well that many problems and challenges would emerge,” he said, while briefing representatives of political parties on the postal voting system.
The briefing about the technicalities of the hybrid postal balloting system – combined with the digital registration and manual ballot papers-- was held at the auditorium of the Nirbachan Bhaban in the capital’s Agargaon area.
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The CEC said his Commission has undertaken an initiative that had never been tried in Bangladesh before. “We have entered an unknown area. But we took an oath and made a commitment that we must implement it,” he said.
Pointing to journalists present at the programme, Nasir Uddin said they have got cooperation from the media in the process. “From the beginning of the implementation to this stage, we have received your cooperation. Without your support, we could not have come this far. Otherwise, negative writings on social media could have seriously harmed the initiative,” he said.
He said in any new initiative, some mistakes, errors or misunderstandings are natural. “Once the misunderstandings are cleared and confusion is removed, it will be evident that there was no other motive behind this initiative,” he added.
Noting that expatriate voters from 122 countries have enrolled in the system (to vote in the next general election and referendum to be held simultaneously on February 12, the CEC expressed hope that the initiative would brighten the image of Bangladesh in the world.
“I believe that one day Bangladesh’s name will shine across the world for successfully implementing this postal ballot system,” he said, adding that many countries, including those in the region, have gained so much success in introducing such a system.
The CEC said when foreigners come to meet him, they said if Bangladesh succeeds in implementing the system, the country’s name would be recorded in world history, as many other nations have not been able to do so.
Election Commissioners Abdur Rahmanel Masud, Tahmida Ahmed, Anwarul Islam Sarkar and Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah as well EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed were present at the briefing.
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